Ex-Raider RB Jacobs talks Ruggs, fatal crash on ‘The Pivot’ podcast

Former Raiders star Josh Jacobs opened up about his relationship with Henry Ruggs on an episode of “The Pivot” podcast this week and said he hopes his close friend will get a chance to continue his football career if he’s released from prison next year.

Jacobs also pushed back on the narrative that Las Vegas is a dangerous place for professional athletes.

“I’ve been talking to some people for (Ruggs),” Jacobs said on the show, which is hosted by former NFL players Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. “They’ve been saying a couple of teams are willing to give him a chance. I’m like, ‘When you get that chance, man, you better not ever — don’t look back, and prove to yourself and prove to everybody that one decision don’t define you and who you are as a man.’”

Ruggs was driving almost 160 miles per hour the morning of Nov. 2, 2021, before he crashed into a car driven by Tina Tintor, who was killed along with her dog Max. Ruggs agreed to a plea deal in the case and is eligible for parole next year.

Jacobs, who played for the Raiders for five seasons before signing with the Packers as a free agent last year, said it’s a mistake to blame a 24-hour town like Las Vegas for players’ mistakes.

“It was nothing like how people think,” he said. “The guys that were going out for real were the guys who weren’t playing or were barely playing, which I didn’t understand because that sounds backwards to me. You live in Vegas, you’re never on The Strip. You rarely ever go unless you’re taking your family to eat or something like that.

“Then, if you’re a player, everyone knows who you are. So it’s not like you can even do much anyways. I always tell people the guys who struggle out there with the lifestyle, those are decisions they’re making. I was out there for five years and I probably only went out like that two or three times. You can definitely choose what you want, but the problem with Vegas is it has everything. It has everything you can choose.”

The Raiders released Ruggs hours after the crash. Jacobs credited the team for how it responded to the event.

“I think after the Henry situation, they started changing a lot of stuff with the franchise,” Jacobs said. “They have free Uber rides now. If you’re a player, you can go on the app and put it in. They give you so many tools to help people. Now, if something happens now, it’s nobody’s fault but the person and I genuinely feel that way because they give you every tool to make the right decisions for sure.”

Jacobs and Ruggs were college teammates at Alabama before they were both drafted by the Raiders. Jacobs said their friendship runs deep.

“I know his whole family,” Jacobs said. “His mama and them taught me how to bowl. It’s real love on a deeper level.”

The two have stayed in touch throughout Ruggs’ incarceration. Jacobs has been looking out for Ruggs’ wife and daughter.

“Keeping up with him and hearing him talk, it brings me spirits, because he’s always positive,” Jacobs said. “He’s positive about everything. He’s training. They let him train and things like that, so I’m (hopeful he gets a second chance).”

Jacobs, who was arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired in January 2021 but was not charged, said he talked to Ruggs about going out with him to Topgolf the night of Ruggs’ crash. Jacobs ultimately decided to stay home.

He learned of the accident from his lawyers, who called to let him know they were willing to represent Ruggs.

Jacobs said one of the hardest things for him to deal with was the fact the incident was so out of character for Ruggs.

“He’s a good kid,” Jacobs said. “He’s never been in trouble. I’ve never seen him do anything crazy. He was just one of them guys that have a very, very unfortunate situation and something happened, a decision that he made. That’s what hurt me the most. Man, he isn’t somebody you would look at and be like, ‘Bro, you deserved this to happen to you.’”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.